


Two Bairns on Land

by Lady Mythos (Lady_Mythos)



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Multi, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28441587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Mythos/pseuds/Lady%20Mythos
Summary: "But above all, my pups, never let another touch your pelts. To let another touch them is to allow them dominion over you. Selkies belong to only the sea, lest the fickleness of the surface ruin their sparks."Or, five times the Autobots returned Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's pelts and the one time they freely gave them up
Relationships: Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Sideswipe & Sunstreaker (Transformers)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Two Bairns on Land

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cheshire_Hearts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheshire_Hearts/gifts).



> Happy Holidays, everyone and a special greeting to Whirlybird aka Cheshire_Hearts as your secret spark! I, in usual fashion, can't keep shit short. So I hope you enjoy your gift in installments.
> 
> Prompt: Sideswipe and Sunstreaker as selkies being nuisances.
> 
> Somehow whump and sadness crept into this thing but I still hope you enjoy it!

Two frightened selkie pups huddled in a closet as the clash of blades and cries of pain echoed through the coliseum. War had finally come to the largest gladiator ring of Kaon. 

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had felt indifferent to the initial outbreak of violence. After all, they were gladiator runners. They retrieved energon-soaked limbs and broken weapons from the sands every day. Besides, Kaon had started the war which meant the insurgents had turned the city into a fortress. As bombs dropped around their heads, life went on as normal.

As normal as it could be for a pair of peltless selkies.

The door rattled with the force of a powerful explosion, sending the two shivering deeper into the corner. Sideswipe whimpered into Sunstreaker's shoulder. "I want 'Rier, Sunny."

Sunstreaker dashed tears from his cheeks. "I want 'Rier too."

They shouldn't be such sparklings. Their carrier had been dead for ages and ages before they worked for the ring. He'd swam too close to a fishing boat, speared for his magnificent mandarin pelt. Couldn't even follow the rules he'd laid out for Sunstreaker and Sideswipe and died for his folly. That was the Kaon way.

But that didn't eliminate the memories. The thought of a big body huddling them to nurse, gentle croons during dreadful storms, a fleeting time of comfort and kindness. Despite the gladiators' attempt to beat softness out of their sparks, they couldn't forget. Even if they wanted to.

Another explosion rocked the closet. Sideswipe collapsed into frantic sobs. "We're going to die, aren't we? I don't wanna die!"

Sunstreaker couldn't hold himself together either. The two selkie pups went into complete hysterics, wailing and screaming as their world went to hell all over again. Who could hear them? Who would hear them? Kaon had no mercy for abandoned pups without the wit or skill to escape.

The door blasted open. A giant mech, unlike anything the twins had ever seen, lumbered into the closet. Gleaming silver horns curled to the air as bovine ears swiveled at the sound of sobbing. Minotaur, the mech was a massive minotaur. His optics, terrifying Autobot blue, locked on to them. 

They were dead.

Sunstreaker tucked Sideswipe into his neck. At least Sides wouldn't have to watch their demise. He glared at the minotaur, baring his small fangs. The minotaur snorted. He stomped his way across the closet. Sunstreaker roared, scrambling back to press himself against the wall. But the minotaur didn't stop until he loomed over them both.

The twins shrank away. Death may have come but they did not have to look it in the eye. Any moment and they would be joining Rier in the Well. So much for the short lives they had lived—

Soft fur draped over their bodies and suddenly the twins could breathe again. The scent of rust and the magic of the deep filled their noses. Everything felt right. Sideswipe dared to peek out from his brother's neck. Two brilliant fur coats, one ruby red and the other golden yellow, draped themselves over their bodies. The minotaur sat on his haunches, still staring at them both.

"Hello, younglings. My name is Ironhide and I am with the Autobots. Do I have your permission to help you?"

Now Sunstreaker craned his neck to gawk alongside Sideswipe. What a strange, long-forgotten concept,  _ permission _ . Years had stretched on since they'd had such a luxury. Peltless selkies had nothing so grand as free will or choice. And now, surrounded by unseen carnage and confronted with an enemy, they regained what they had lost so long ago.

Sideswipe turned to his brother.  _ What should we do, brother? He gave us back our pelts. _

_ I don't know. 'Rier never told us what to do if someone returned our pelts to us. _

Sunstreaker pulled his coat closer to himself, staring Ironhide down. The minotaur didn't move. He still sat on his haunches patiently.

A loud rumble filled the air. The twins flinched in unison. Slag, they'd forgotten. It had been more than two days since they'd eaten. Ironhide huffed and reached into his subspace. He pulled out a pair of ration bars. The gleam of the wrapping caught Sideswipe's optic. Ironhide tore the corner from both wrappers and bit a corner off. He sat for ten minutes before throwing the bars to Sideswipe.

_ He hasn't keeled over, Sunny. _

_ I know _ . 

For better or worse, the exhaustion and hunger crept in. The two crammed the bars down their intakes as quickly as they could. Sunstreaker felt his energy spike, helm spinning from being so full so quickly. He shot up straight to resume glaring at Ironhide.

"Just because you gave us energon doesn't mean you won't hurt us lately."

"You aren't wrong." Ironhide shrugged his shoulders. "But Kaon is getting more and more dangerous by the day. Would you rather stay in a place where you are sure to be hurt or take a chance that we won't hurt you?"

_ I'm tired, Sunny. I don't want to stay here anymore. _

_......I don't want to stay either. _

Sideswipe stared up at Ironhide. "Are you going to hurt us?"

A small smile spread over Ironhide's face. "I won't. And neither will my friends. I promise."

"Ok." Sideswipe silently raised his arms. Ironhide knelt and carefully swept up both twins and pelts in his arms.

"Hold tight, bitlets. Let's get out of here."

Perhaps this was a terrible decision. Perhaps this would end with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker helmless. But perhaps,  _ perhaps _ , this could end better than before.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'd love for you to drop a comment or kudos telling me how it went.


End file.
